Part A: Statement of Goal, Objectives and Expected Outcomes Organization
The City of Anaheim Workforce Development Division is part of the City of Anaheim Housing and Community Development Department. We are responsible for connecting local employers with local talent and providing the preparation and training for those job seekers, setting them on a successful career path. The Division operates the Anaheim Workforce Connection, an America's Job Center of California (AJCC), and provides staff support to the Anaheim Workforce Development Board (AWDB) and has done so since the City was first designated as a local workforce area in 1990. Through the various workforce legislation from that time to now, we have served hundreds of local employers and thousands of adult and youth job seekers. Our team currently consists of 13 full-time staff, including career advisors, business services representatives, and administrative staff. We operate out of one location and our Fiscal Year 2025 budget totals $5 million.
Goat
1. To improve the financial security and economic mobility of families in Anaheim by improving access to workforce development services and wraparound supports in deep partnership with community- based organizations (CB0s).
2. To increase access to quality jobs by educating and supporting employer partners in efforts to improve the quality of jobs they offer.
3. To support the mental health and wellness and build the capacity of the Anaheim workforce development team to provide outstanding support to customers from historically underrepresented and underserved communities, especially to individuals experiencing trauma.
Objectives
1. To create a Partnership Engagement Officer position who will identify and engage at least ten new partners, including other local agencies and CB0s, in establishing a more cohesive workforce development system in Anaheim.
2. To train business services representatives on job quality concepts and strategies to help approximately 30 local employers understand the benefits and options available to improve job quality.
3. To learn how different WDBs and their partners have effectively supported historically underrepresented and underserved communities by shadowing six WDBs in other locales.
4. To provide the entire Anaheim workforce development team with the training, care, and support needed to be empathetic and sensitive to customer needs and mentally and emotionally resilient in a trauma-impacted field.
Expected Outcomes
1. Total customer enrollment into Anaheim workforce development programs and service of customers from historically underrepresented and underserved populations increased by approximately 25 and 30 percent, respectively, over two years.
2. Job quality practices adopted by at least10 employers, resulting in increased job satisfaction and reduced turnover.
3. Visibility and awareness of the valuable role the WDB and its partners play in improving families' livelihoods in Anaheim increased among local leaders and policy makers, such as through recognition by the Mayor's Office or City Council.
4. WDB staff and management will be and feel supported by one another, as demonstrated through increased job satisfaction scores on annual staff surveys, for example.
Part B: Proposal Narrative
The Anaheim Local Workforce Area is an island of unique opportunities and common challenges.
Surrounded by larger Workforce Areas, it is home to thriving manufacturing and hospitality/entertainment industries, and to densely concentrated low-income, underserved communities of color. With a total population of approximately 350,000, all our Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funding is programmed for services to customers. We have very little flexibility to budget for capacity building though we have made strides in the last two years, even as our WIOA allocation continues to decline.
We have refreshed out team: half our staff have joined the team within the last two years. With the James Irvine grant funding we can stave off the consequences of reduced WIOA funding and invest responsibly in our team, marrying the knowledge of our seasoned team members with the enthusiasm of our newest ones. We will pursue new ideas about what a workforce system should be while strengthening our team's ability to carry them out. These ideas are: 1) establishing a Partnership Engagement Officer, 2) training CB0 partners as Workforce System Navigators, 3) training our business services representatives as Job Quality Crusaders, 4) embedding staff at and shadowing other AJCCs, and 5) strengthening our team members' mental toughness and mental health awareness.
Partnership En agement Officer(Holistic Support)
The Partnership Engagement Officer (PEO) is a city staff position dedicated to establishing and maintaining relationships with local agencies, institutions, and community-based organizations (CBOs) that provide parallel or complimentary services and resources that increase the likelihood of job seeker customer success in obtaining and retaining employment and advancing along a career path to self-sufficiency. The PEO is responsible for identifying, researching and understanding these organizations, educating CBOs about workforce development, teaching fellow AJCC staff about programs and services in each participating organization, and creating the system that facilitates the flow of customer referrals between and through our network.
As the partner network develops, it will be important to find the means of sustaining it beyond the PWFC grant. The PEO will need to learn how to identify collaboration opportunities among the partners to find new governmental or institutional grant opportunities. This will be a tool that lays out along a spectrum the different resources each partner has to offer. Then as the "right" opportunity presents itself, preparing and writing the grant. Though the PEO will be the primary grant writer, we propose all AJCC staff receive grant writing training.
We know some of our local CBOs have computers available for their participants to conduct job search and other related activities. The PEO will work to standardize the customer experience by co-branding and/or badging computer resources as workforce resource access points, ensuring they have similar system requirements, customer interfaces and links to resources.
Activities include:
Procuring/developing a shared referral system Receiving grant writing instruction for all staff
Co-branding of partner computer resources as
workforce resource access points
Standardizing access points for a uniform
customer experience
Receiving instruction in negotiation skills
Workforce System Navigators (Holistic Support)
A corollary of and counterpart to the PEO is the Workforce System Navigator. For those CBOs with computer resources, staff and/or volunteers will train on how to navigate customers through the myriad employment resources available and customize each client's job search and job preparation experience. Imagine them as "deputized" workforce staff aderessing basic and common questions confronting job seekers, while also steering customers to all other complimentary supports available in the network.
Activities include:
Compiling and documenting workforce Training Navigators resources
Job Quality Crusaders (Quality Jobs)
Our Business Services Representatives (BSRs) regularly contact and cultivate relationships with our local employers. They learn a company's needs, then match those needs with the services we offer:
recruitment assistance, job listings, job fairs, on-the-job training, and incumbent worker training.
We propose adding to their conversations the topic of job quality and conveying to employers the benefit, not only to their employees, but for themselves in terms of reduced turnover, increased productivity, reduced recruitment and onboarding costs, and increased employee loyalty and Longevity. We will train our BSRs to understand with great depth the range of job quality considerations and options and then be able to effectively communicate these considerations and options to employers.
Activities include:
Receiving consultation/training from job quality Receiving sales and negotiation skills training expert
Receiving training to understand job Gathering employer testimonials descriptions and requirements
AJCC Embedding_and Shadowing (Racial Equity, Holistic Supports) An AJCC Embedding and Shadowing strategy where our workforce team shadows another workforce center is crucial for enhancing the effectiveness and inclusivity of workforce services. By observing how different centers serve diverse populations, professionals gain valuable insights into varied program operations and service delivery methods. This hands-on learning experience fosters a deeper understanding of the unique challenges and needs faced by different job seeker demographics. Additionally, it encourages the sharing of best practices and innovative solutions, promoting a more adaptable and responsive workforce development system while making progress towards racial equity goals. Ultimately, this strategy enhances professionals' ability to provide tailored support, ensuring that all individuals receive the resources and guidance needed to achieve employment success and significant career advancement.
The Anaheim workforce professionals will have the unique opportunity to embed themselves at another America's Job Centers of California (AJCC) for a week. This experience will allow them to shadow a hosting workforce team and gain a deep understanding of how services and resources are delivered to customers. The AJCCs selected will be those serving customers with backgrounds we have not traditionally worked with in great numbers. We will research which areas these are based on their demographic makeup.
In preparation for shadowing an AJCC, Anaheim workforce professionals will receive DEI training, guidance on recording observations, and presentation skills training. After the conclusion of shadowing the selected AJCCs, Anaheim workforce professionals will present their research and learning experience to the rest of the team in a structured, interactive format. This will lead to real, actionable changes to service delivery that is performed in a way that is racially equitable and sensitive.
By implementing a shadowing strategy where our workforce team observes how different workforce teams serve diverse populations, we aim to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of varied service delivery methods. Success will be reflected in our ability to integrate these insights into our own operations, resulting in more inclusive and effective service delivery. Our workforce team, through their active participation, will play a crucial role in shaping the future of our organization. They will become more adept at meeting the needs of diverse populations, ultimately Leading to enhanced client satisfaction and a more adaptable and culturally competent organization
Activities include:
Receiving training in observational learning
techniques
Receiving presentation and facilitation skills
training
Receiving Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
training ,
Modifying the physical and virtual AJCO spaces
consistent with the learning/findings
Traveling to and embedding with other AJCCs
aertalToughrless (Holistic Support, Racial Equity)
In recent years, organizations have opted to provide Trauma Informed Care (TIC) and mental health trainings to teams working with the public to enhance the overall quality of service delivery, ensure employee well-being, and promote a supportive organizational culture. Such training equips teams in public sectors with the skills to recognize, understand, and respond appropriately to mental health issues, reducing the risk of escalation and fostering a safer environment for both employees and the public. This proactive approach leads to better client interactions, constructive emotional support, and positive client program experiences. Additionally, mental health training aligns with ethical and legal standards, mitigates risks, and enhances the organization's reputation, demonstrating a commitment to holistic well-being and social responsibility.
Providing trauma-informed care training to our front-end workforce team creates a supportive and understanding work environment that acknowledges and addresses the impact of trauma on both employees and clients. This approach will equip our team with the skills to recognize signs of trauma, respond with empathy, and implement practices that promote healing and resilience.
Success will be reflected in a healthier, more engaged, and resilient workforce, reduced burnout and turnover rates, and improved interactions with clients, leading to better service delivery.
Ultimately, this will foster a more compassionate and effective organization, enhancing the mental health and overall well-being and job satisfaction of our workforce and improving outcomes for those we serve.
Activities include:
Choosing qualified professional for staff
training
Integrating TIC and mental health principles
into program procedures and practices
Budget Narrative: Anaheim Workforce Development Board
Project Duration: 2 years
1. Salaries and Benefits ($245,000)
Irvine funding will be used to cover salary and benefits for 2 full-time equivalent positions over two years. The funds will cover the full cost of salary and benefits for 1 new position (122,500) and a portion of costs for 4 existing positions ($122,500) including three Business Services Representatives and one Career Advisor.
Funding is needed to cover a portion of existing staff positions that will be engaged in the implementation of this work because the work is outside the scope of service delivery and our proposed capacity building activities would be extraordinary expenses that may not be allowable under our Federal workforce funds or at the very least require an extraordinary justification to State and Federal monitors. The funding that the Irvine staff is replacing will be reprogrammed into operation of the America's Job Center of California, including delivery of job search assistance and occupational skills training for customers.
2. Consultants ($170,000)
This project will utilize the expertise of five consultant categories:
a. Diversity, Eouity and Inclusion Training. ($80,000). Anaheim will engage a consulting firm to provide training to all staff on core principles of DEI and strategies for how to integrate an equity lens into customer engagement.
b. Job Quality Training. ($60,000). Anaheim will engage a consulting firm to provide training to business services staff on the elements of job quality, what it means and how it is implemented, and receive guidance on how to make the most appealing case to employers so they adopt job quality measures. c. Trauma-Informed Service Delivery Training. ($15,000). Anaheim will engage a consultant to provide trauma- informed care training to all staff so they can recognize, understand, and respond to customers' needs with empathy and compassion.
d. Mental and Emotional Resiliency Training. ($10,000). Anaheim will engage a consultant to teach all staff how to care for their mental health and emotional resiliency as they respond to and engage with customers who face challenging and difficult circumstances.
e. Miscellaneous Training Modules. ($5,000). Anaheim will purchase a team subscription to Linkedln Learning or similar online training service and then prescribe training on topics such as grant/proposal writing, sales skills/strategy, negotiation skills, observation learning techniques, and meeting facilitation.
3. Facilities/Equipment ($20,000).
This request will cover the costs of facilities and small equipment purchases, such as software licenses, laptop computers, theft protection devices, desk/workstation, and portable printer/scanner for direct use in the implementation of the project.
4. Meeting Expenses ($3,000).
This request will cover costs associated with virtual and in-person gatherings, such as meeting materials production/printing, venue rentals, food, etc.
5. Travel ($30,000)
This request will cover airfare, lodging, and other travel-related costs to support the participation of at least five staff in VVDB shadowing trips, conferences, etc.
6. Indirect Costs ($52,000)
This request will cover indirect costs to the organization associated with implementing this project.
TOTAL: $520,000 Requested
Expense Categories
(Please use your own categories, these are
examples)
Non-Irvine
Expenses
Irvine-Covered
Expenses
Total Project
Budget
Salaries and Benefits 245,000 245,000
Consultants (Training) 170,000 170,000
Facilities/Equipment 20,000 20,000
Meeting Expenses (conferences
meetings) 3,000 3,000 3,000
Travel (airfare, lodging, etc) 30,000 30,000
Indirect Costs 52,000 52,000
[Total 0 520,000 520,000